PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State University track and field student-athletes Eric Dudley and Ellannee Richardson have been awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. The WSU graduates were among the 29 men and 29 women Spring Sports Awardees announced by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee July 1.

Dudley, a redshirt senior this past year from Bellingham, Wash., was a two-time All-American intermediate hurdler who finished sixth in the 400m hurdles at the 2003 NCAA Div. I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He ran the second-fastest time in school history this past spring when he finished second in a time of 49.59 seconds in the 400m hurdles at the Pacific-10 Championships. Dudley was the Pac-10 intermediate hurdles champion in 2001.

Dudley graduated Summa Cum Laude this past May with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering with a 3.97 GPA. He was selected the 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Men's Track & Field/Cross Country after being selected to the national first team in 2001 and All-District VIII first teams in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

He accumulated many honors at the conclusion of his collegiate career this year including: Cougar Pride Academic Salute, SAAC Outstanding Senior Male Athlete, President's Leadership Award, Senior Excellence in Academics, and the Pac-10 Postgraduate Scholarship.

Richardson, a redshirt senior from Gladstone, Ore., is a five-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 heptathlon champion (2001-03). She was the national runner-up at the NCAA Div. I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and bettered her own school record with a total of 5,839 points. Richardson holds three indoor and four outdoor school records. She was rated as the third-best heptathlete (top collegiate) in the United States in 2003 by Track & Field News.

Richardson graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in sociology last year and will complete her Masters degree in criminal justice and political science this year. She was selected to the 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America national second team for Women's Track & Field/Cross Country after earning Dist. VIII Academic All-American accolades.

To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.200 (on a 4.000 scale) or its equivalent and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics. The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.

Nomination forms are sent to faculty athletics representatives for fall sports in September, for winter sports in late November and for spring sports in February. Also, applications can be completed online. Selections are made three times each academic year. The application must be submitted during the appropriate seasonal category for the sport. Candidates are screened by seven regional selection committees and the winners are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

The NCAA has awarded 58 postgraduate scholarships of $6,900 each to 29 men and 29 women who participated in spring sports, which included baseball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, rowing, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, outdoor track and field and women's water polo.

In addition to the spring sport honorees, the NCAA also awards 116 postgraduate scholarships to student-athletes participating in fall and winter sports in which the NCAA conducts championships, for a total of 174 postgraduate scholarships annually.